Automatic musical instrument.



N0- 763,877 PATENTED JUNE 28, 1904.

-. W. H. GILMAN & 'J. PfTIRRELL.

AUTOMATIC MUSICAL INSTRUMENT.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT. 12. 1903.

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W. H. GILMAN & J. P. TIRRELL. AUTOMATIC MUSICAL INSTRUMENT.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT. 12. 1903.

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UNITED STATES Patented June as, 1904.

PATENT OFFICE.

WlLLARD H. GILMAN AND JACOB P. TIRRELL, OF BOSTON, MASSACHU- SETTS, SAIDTIRRELL ASSIGNOR, BY MESNE ASSIGNMENTS, TO H. GANNETT, OF AUGUSTA,MAINE.

AUTOMATIC MUSICAL INSTRUMENT.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 763,877, dated June 28,1904.

Application filed September 12, 1903. Serial No. 172,931. (No model.)

To all whom, it may concern.-

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It is the object of our invention to provide a simple and eflicientmechanism for operating the strings of a banjo or other like instrumentthe strings of which are vibrated by pickers.

The invention consists in the improvements which we will now proceed todescribe and claim.

Of the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification,Figure 1 represents a top plan view of an apparatus embodying ourinvention. Fig. 2 represents a side elevation of the same. Fig. 3represents an end elevation of a portion of the apparatus, the neck ofthe banjo being shown in cross-section. Fig. 1 represents a section online 1 4 of Fig. 1. Fig. 5 represents a view corresponding to Fig. 1 andshowing certain portions of the apparatus that are omitted in Fig. 4:.Fig. 6 represents a section on line 6 6 of Fig. 1. Fig. 7 represents aside elevation of the portions of the apparatus shown in Fig. 6.

The same reference characters indicate the same pa'rts'in all thefigures.

In the drawings, 10 represents a supporting bed or table, above which issupported on suitable legs or standards 11 a stringed mu sicalinstrument 12, which is preferably a banjo, having the usual strings 13.

14 1 1 represent spring-depressing members or fingers, which are locatedover the neck of the instrument and are adapted to press the stringsinto contact with the neck, the said fingers being arranged in groups,with the different groups at different distances from the resonant bodyof the instrument. The fingers are divided into rows, each row beinglocated over one of the strings, the members of each row being atdifferent distances from the body of the instrument, so that thedepression of each finger in a row gives the string adiiferent operativelength. The fingers 14: are mounted on links or rods 15, which extendthrough orifices formed in the neck of the banjo, the arrangement beingsuch that when any rod 15 is moved endwise in one direction the fingersupported by it is brought in contact with the corresponding string, andwhen the rod is moved in the opposite direction the finger is raised torelease the string. Each finger is normally raised by means of a spring16, there being a series of springs, one for each finger. Each spring isattached at one end to an arm or ear 17, afiixed to the accompanyingfinger-rod 15, and at its upper end to a plate or flange 18, fixed tothe neck of the instrument.

19 19 represent the spring-vibrating members or pickers, of which thereare four in this embodiment of our invention. Said pickers arepreferably formed as the hooked outer ends of rods 20, which are movableback and forth in a substantially horizontal direction over the resonantbody of the instrument, means being provided, as hereinafter described,for reciprocating the pickers and for raising them during parts of theirreciprocating movements and depressing them during other parts, so thateach picker will move in a direction across the accompanying stringwhile in contact therewith and will then move back while raised aboveand out of contact with the string.

All the string-operating members, including the fingers 1 1 and pickers19, are actuated by an operating mechanism which includes a singleelongated cylinder 21, journaled in bearings afiixed to thesupporting-frame, and a series of projections 22, supported by saidcylinder, said projections being arranged in accordance with apredetermined plan to actuate the string-operating members in the orderrequired to produce a given air or tune. The projections 22 arepreferably thin blocks affixed to and raised above the surface of a iflexible sheet 23, which is adapted to be unwound from a delivery-spool24 and wound upon a corresponding accumulating-spool 25, the sheet 23passing over the cylinder 21 in moving from one spool to the other, asclearly indicated in Fig. 3. The said mechanism also includes a seriesof levers 26, one for each finger-rod 15, said levers being pivotedside.

by side at 27 and having rolls 28 at their lower ends, bearing upon theportion of the sheet 23 that is supported by the cylinder 21, and rolls29 at their upper ends, bearing upon arms 30, which are pivoted at 31 attheir inner ends, the outer end of each arm embracing one of thefinger-operating rods 15 and being adapted to depress said rod when thearm 30 is swung downwardly. Each arm 30 acts, through a spring 31, on anarm 32, affixed to one of the finger-operating rods 15. For conveniencethe arms 32 are connected with the arms 17, as clearly shown in Figs. 3and 6. The fingerraising springs 16 act, through the arms 32, springs31, and pivoted arms 30, to hold the rolls 28 of the levers 26yieldingly against the traveling sheet 23. When a projection 22 comesunder the roller 28, the latter is swung outwardly and the upper end ofthe lever 26, including the roller 29, is swung downwardly, thusdepressing the arm 30 and causing a corresponding depression of the rod15 and finger 14, engaged with said arm. When the projection 22 passesfrom under the roller 28, the parts assume their former position, thefinger being raised by the spring 16. I have here shown the arm 30provided with an adjustable section or piece 34, having asleeve orcollar 35, which embraces the arm 30 and is attached thereto by aset-screw 36. The section 34 has an inclined upper edge. By adjustingthe section 34 lengthwise the height of the portion against which theroll 29 bears may bejvaried. This constitutes a convenient provision foradjusting the parts of the fingeroperating mechanism chine.

That part of the operating mechanism which relates to the pickersincludes a series of levers '37, pivoted at 38 and having a roll 39bearing on the sheet 23, there being four of these levers, one for eachstring, a series of four rock-shafts 40, arranged substantially parallelwith the axis of the cylinder 21 and extending under the resonant bodyof the instrument, said rock-shafts being journaled in fixed bearings onthe frame of the machine, connections between said rock-shaft and thelevers 37 whereby a movement of either lever caused by a projection 22will cause a corresponding movement of the accompanying rock-shaft,springs 41, connected with the rock-shaft, as presently described, insuch manner as to move the rock-shaft in the opposite direction, thusholding the levers 37 against the sheet 23 and also holding the pickersnormally at one extreme of their movement, and connections between therock-shafts and the pickers whereby in setting up the mathe rockingmovements of the rock-shaft are caused to reciprocate the pickers.

The connections between the levers 37 and the rock-shafts compriseshorter arms 42, affixed to the rock-shafts, and rods 43, connectingsaid shorter arms with the levers 37 as best shown in Fig. 4. Theconnections between the rock-shafts and the picker-rods 20 compriselevers 44, pivoted at 45 and connected at their upper ends with the rods20, and rods 46, connecting the lower ends of the levers 44 with longerarms 47, aflixed to the rock-shafts. The springs 41, above referred to,are each connected at one end with the supporting-frame and at the otherend with one of the longer arms 47.

It will be seen from the foregoing that the passage of a projection-22under the roll 39 of either lever 37 will cause a turning movement ofthe accompanying rock-shaft 40in one direction, said movement beingimparted through the described connections to the correspondingpicker-rod 20, the picker. thereon being moved across one of thestrings.

I 48 represents a multiple cam-wheel, which is journaled on a fixedsupport beside one of the picker-rods 20, there being a wheel 48 foreach picker-rod. The recesses formed by the perimeter of the wheel 48are arranged to engage a pin 49 on the picker-rod when the latter isbeing moved by the passage of a projection 22 under a lever 37, the rodbeing therefore raised, as indicated by dotted lines in Fig. 5, after ithas picked the string and held in a raised position until the forwardmovement of the rod, caused by one of the springs 41,carries the pickerback over its string, the picker being then allowed to drop to a pointslightly below the level of the string.

The wheel 48 is prevented from rotating in one direction by a spring dogorpawl 50, so that when the picker-rod is making its return movementthis movement is guided by the uppermost cam on the-wheel 48, the wheelbeing then stationary, the shape of the said cam being such as to holdthe picker at an elevated point until it has passed across the string,the picker dropping .when the pin 49 slides ofi' from the guiding-cam.Eachpicker is pressed downwardly by means of a spring 51, connecting therod 20 with the lever 44.

The accumulating-spool 25 may be rotated by power applied in anysuitable way, preferably by a spring-motor.

It will be seen that the described mechanism whereby a single cylindersupporting a 22 might be fixed to the periphery of the cylinder 21; butwe do not recommend such arrangement, because of the obvious advantageafforded by the spools 24 and 25 in accommogle sheet.

The cylinder 21 is movable laterally to separate it from the levers 26,as indicated by dotted lines in Fig. 3, the cylinder being moved to thisposition whenever it is desired to -insert a sheet between the cylinderand the levers at the commencement of the operation.

The journals 52 of the cylinder'2l are movable in segmental slots 53 inthe hangers or brackets 5.4,supporting the cylinder 21. 55 55 are leverspivoted at 56 to said bracket and having slots 57 in their upperportions, which receive the journals 52. When the levers 55 are moved tothe dotted-line position shown in Fig. 3, they force the cylinder 21sidewise, its journals passing to the opposite ends of the segmentalslots 53. The levers 55 may be moved by links 58, connecting their lowerend portions with the hooked levers 59, which secure the journals 60 ofthe spool 24 in place in the hangers or bearings 61, which support thesaid spools.

It will be observed that the levers 26 and 37, which receive motion fromthe projections 22, are arranged side by side in a row or series, sothat their rolls or terminals 28 and 39 are arranged in a straight rank,which is parallel with the axis of the cylinder 21. All the saidterminals therefore are adapted to bear simultaneously on the cylinderor on the sheet 23, supported thereby. This arrangement enables a singleactuating-sheet or actuator, supported so as to present a straightsurface across its width, to actuate all the levers required to operatethe fingers and pickers of a banjo.

We do not limit ourselves to an actuatingsheet or actuator supported bya cylinder, as the sheet may be supported and caused to present astraight supporting-surface to the lever-terminals by any other suitablemeans. The actuating members with which the actuator is provided (hereshown as projections on the surface of the actuator) may be of anysuitable form and construction adapted to secure. the desiredresultviz., to cause or permit the displacement of the levers from theposition they occupy when resting on the plain surface of the actuator.

We claim dating a large number of projections on a sin- 1. An apparatusof the character specified,

comprising a stringed musical instrument, a series of string-operatingmembers arranged to act directly on the strings, a series of levers, onefor each of the string-operating members, a corresponding series of armspivotally mounted adjacent said levers and extending substantiallyparallel therewith, a moving actuator arranged to support the saidlevers simultaneously and having actuating members, connections betweenthe contiguous ends of said arms and said levers, means for returningsaid arms and levers to a normal position,

and connections between said arms and the string-operating members.

2. An apparatus of the character described, comprising a stringedmusical instrument, a series of string-operating members arranged to actdirectly onthe strings, a series of levers, one for each of thestring-operating members, a corresponding series of arms pivotallymounted adjacent said levers and extending substantially paralleltherewith, a moving actuator arranged to support the said levers si'multaneously and having actuating members, connections between thecontiguous ends of said arms and said levers, springs acting upon saidarms, whereby said lovers are returned to their normal positions, andconnections between the said arms and the string-operating members.

3. An apparatus of the character described comprising a stringed musicalinstrument, string-operating fingers, rods supporting the same, springsfor normally raising the rods and fingers, a moving actuator havingactuator members, levers held by said springs against the actuator andarranged to be moved by said actuating members, connections between thelevers and rods, and means for engaging said levers, whereby the extentof movement of said rods may be regulated.

4:. An apparatus of the character described, comprising a stringedmusical instrument, a series of pivoted levers, pickers pivotallymounted upon said levers, springs extending from said levers to saidpickers, means for normally holding said levers in one position, amoving actuator having actuating members, actuating-levers arranged tobe moved by said members, and connections between the actuating-leversand the pivoted levers, whereby movement imparted to saidactuating-levers is correspondingly imparted to the pickers.

5. In an apparatus of the character specified,a picker provided with aprojection, means for reciprocating the same, a cam-wheel arranged tocooperate with and be rotated by said projection, and means forpreventing backward rotation of the cam-wheel.

6. In an apparatus of the character specified, the combination of acylinder, a flexible sheet supported thereby and having actuatingprojections on one side, means for moving the sheet over the cylinder,levers arranged to be actuated by the projections on the blocks,string-operating members actuated by said levers, and means for shiftingsaid cylinder.

7. An apparatus of the character specified comprising a stringed musicalinstrument, string-operating fingers, rods supporting the same, springsfor normally raising the rods, actuating-levers adapted to operate saidrods, and means for engaging said levers, whereby the extent of movementof said rods may be regulated.

8. An apparatus of the character specified,

comprising a stringed musical instrument, string-operating fingers, rodssupporting the same, springs for normally raising the rods, pivotedlevers connected to said rods, and actuating-levers provided withoverhanging portions bearing against said pivoted levers.

9. An apparatus of the character specified, comprising a stringedmusical instrument, string-operating fingers, rods supporting the same,springs for normally raising said rods, pivoted levers connected to saidrods, actuatinglevers provided With overhanging portions bearing againstsaid pivoted levers, and

means for regulating the extent of movement of said rods.

(J. F. BROWN, E. BATGHELDER.

